Product DescriptionShannon's Christmas Wish ListA gorgeous billionaire to buy her store…enter Rory Wallace—swoon!The magic of Christmas…Rory and his little girl need to know that it still exists.Willpower…because kissing Rory under the mistletoe would be a Very Bad Idea.Shannon Raleigh can't believe that both Rory Wallace and his little girl dislike Christmas so much and she's determined to make her favorite season as magical as possible! But working with handsome Rory every day proves challenging, because Shannon finds herself longing for Christmas kisses with the man she can never have….Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Shannon Raleigh turned to get a look at herself in the full-length mirror in the bathroom of her executive office suite and gaped in horror. The tall black boots and short red velvet dress she wore exposed most of her legs and the white fur-trimmed U at the bodice revealed a sizable strip of cleavage."I can't go into a roomful of kids dressed like this!"Even from behind the closed door, she could hear her assistant Wendy sigh heavily. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?""Because I know you'll say I look fine, when I don't. I can't usher kids to Santa's lap in a skirt so short I can't bend over.""So don't bend over." Another sigh. "Look, Shannon, it doesn't matter that you're eight inches taller than Carlie. There's nobody else who's even remotely thin enough to fit into that suit. Carlie's car is stuck in a snowdrift. If you don't play Santa's helper there'll be no one to—"The ring of the phone stopped Wendy midsentence. The next thing Shannon heard was Wendy's happy voice saying, "Raleigh's Department Store. Shannon Raleigh's assistant, Wendy, speaking."In the lull while Wendy obviously listened to the caller, Shannon cast another critical eye over her reflection. The little red dress was kind of cute. The color complemented her long black hair and made her blue eyes seem bluer. If she were wearing it anywhere else, she'd actually think she looked pretty.A long-forgotten ache filled her. It was the first time in a year she felt pretty, sexy. But sexy wasn't exactly the way a grown woman should dress in a room filled with babies, toddlers and elementary school kids.The ache was quickly replaced by fear—which was the real reason she didn't want to play Santa's helper. How could she spend four hours in a room full of adorable children? She wanted a baby so badly it hurt, but she couldn't have kids. And seeing all those sweet faces, hearing their cute little lists, would crush her."Um, Shannon?""I'm not coming out.""Fine. That was Tammy in the shoe department. No one's come into the store for the past hour and she could tell the storm was getting worse, so she checked the forecast on the internet. They have no clue how much snow we're going to get, but they aren't shy about suggesting we might get another foot.""Anotherfoot!"Shannon raced out of her bathroom and pulled back the curtain behind her huge mahogany desk. Thick fluffy snowflakes cascaded from the sky, coating the tinsel and silver bells on the streetlamps of Main Street, Green Hill, Pennsylvania. It blanketed the Christmas lights that outlined shop doorways, and sat on the roof of the park's gazebo like a tall white hat."Holy cow!"Her gaze on the little red Santa's helper outfit, Wendy also said, "Holy cow.""Don't make fun. We have a serious problem here." Or maybe a way out. She turned from the window. "I think it's time to admit that the storm is keeping shoppers away.""And most of the staff is scared silly about driving home. The longer we stay, the worse the roads get.""okay, announce that the store is closing in fifteen and tell the employees they can go home. I'll call the radio stations so they can add us to their list of closings. Then I'll lock up."As the announcement went out over the loudspeaker, Shannon called all the local radio stations and advised them to let listeners know Raleigh's would be closed for the night.Just as she hung up the phone from the final call, Wendy peeked in. "Okay. Fifteen minutes are up. Store's empty.""Great. Thanks. Be careful going home." "My boyfriend's coming to pick me up in his truck. I'll be fine."Shannon smiled. "See you tomorrow." "If we can make it.""We better hope we can make it. The weekend before Christmas is our busiest time."Wendy shrugged. "If shoppers don't get here tomorrow, they'll just come on Sunday or Monday or Tuesday or whatever. Nobody's going to go without gifts this Christmas. I'd say your profits are safe."Shannon laughed. Wendy waved and headed off. With a few clicks on her keyboard, she activated the building locks and the alarm system. Reaching for her coat, she peered down at her little Santa's helper outfit. She should change, but knowing the roads were getting worse with every passing minute, she simply yanked her long white wool coat from the closet and ran out.At the end of the hall, she pushed on the swinging door that led from executive row to housewares. Striding to the elevator, she passed shelves and tables bulging with merchandise, all under loops of tinsel and oversized ornaments hanging from the low ceiling. On the first floor, she hurried past the candy department, to the back door and the employee parking lot. Putting her SUV into four-wheel drive, she edged onto the street and slowly wound along the twisty road that took her out into the country, to her home five miles outside the small city.As she stepped out into the eighteen inches of snow in her driveway, a sense of disconnect shivered through her. Though it had been a year, it felt like only yesterday that she had been married and living in sunny, happy Charleston, South Carolina, where people didn't often see snow, let alone need winter coats and boots. Then she'd been diagnosed with stage-four endometriosis and forced to have a hysterectomy, her husband had unceremoniously divorced her and she'd returned home to the comforting arms of her parents.But just when she'd gotten adjusted to being back in town and working at the store, her parents had retired and moved to Florida. Worse, they now wanted her to sell the store to fund their retirement.Once again, she was alone—and soon she'd be unemployed.She trudged up the back steps to the kitchen door, scolding herself for being so negative. She knew what was wrong. The near miss with playing Santa's helper had rattled her. Four hours of ushering kids to Santa's throne and listening to their sweet voices as they gave their Christmas lists to the jolly old elf would have been her undoing—a bittersweet reminder to her that she'd never bring a child into this world.Inside the cold yellow kitchen, she'd just barely unwound the scarf from her neck when the doorbell rang. Confused, she walked up the hall, dodging the boxes of Christmas decorations she'd brought from the attic the night before. She flipped on the porch light and yanked open the door.A snow-covered state policeman took off his hat. "Evening, ma'am. I'm Trooper Potter."She blinked. What the devil would the police want with her? "Good evening."Then Trooper Potter shifted a bit to his left and she saw Rory Wallace. All six foot one, no more than one hundred and eighty-five gorgeous pounds of him. His black hair and topcoat were sprinkled with snow. His dark eyes were wary, apologetic."Rory?""Good evening, Shannon."The policeman angled his thumb behind him. "I see you know Mr. Wallace.""Yes. I do." How could she forget a dark-haired, dark-eyed sex god? While he had dated her roommate, Natalie, their first year at university, Shannon had had a secret crush on him. With his high cheekbones, well-defined chin, broad shoulders and flat abs, he had the kind of looks that made women swoon and Shannon wasn't blind."Mr. Wallace was stranded on the interstate. The hotels filled up quickly with travelers and now his only options are a cot in the high school gym or finding someone to take him in. He tells me that he's in Pennsylvania because he has business with you on Monday and—""I came a few days early to get a look at the store on my own," Rory interrupted, stepping forward. "But I ran into the storm. I was hoping you wouldn't mind me staying the night. Normally, I wouldn't ask such a big favor, but as you can see I'm desperate."Mind? She almost laughed. She would bet that fifty percent of the women he met fantasized about being stuck in a storm with him.She opened the door a little wider. Not only would having him stay the night get her out of the doldrums about her life, but this also had all the makings of a perfect fantasy. Cold night. Gorgeous guy. And wine. She had tons of wine."Daddy, I'm cold."Her fantasy came to an abrupt halt as she glanced down and saw a little girl standing beside Rory. She wore a pink ski jacket and carried a matching pink backpack. Little strands of yellow hair peeked from beneath her hood.Her heart pinched with fear. Her breathing stuttered out. Did Fate think it was funny to let her dodge playing Santa's helper only to drop an adorable child on her doorstep?"You can see why I don't want to stay in a shelter."Fear and yearning collided as she glanced down at the sweet little girl with big blue eyes and fine yellow hair. As much as she knew spending time with this child would intensify her longing for her own children, she couldn't leave Rory and his daughter out in the cold or ship them to a crowded gym with hundreds of other noisy travelers and a tiny cot.She also couldn't be a Scrooge. Her problem wasn't their problem. She would be a good hostess.She stepped back so they could enter. "Yes. Yes, of course."Carrying a duffel bag and briefcase as he squeezed into the foyer, Rory brushed against her, setting off a firestorm of sensations inside her. She ignored them. Not just because a man with a child was most likely married, but because she probably wouldn't have made a pass at him even if he'd been alone. In the year since her divorce, she hadn't been able to relate to men as anything other than employees. After her husband's anger over her inability to have kids and the way he&... Views: 56
Product DescriptionWELCOME TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FOOD CHAIN! Aside from being freakishly tall, Joe is just an ordinary divorcee taking his son, Danny, to the zoo for his weekend of custody. Everything is going great until a bizarre snake attack sends everybody in the zoo running for cover. It isn't long before Joe realizes that there is a lot more going on than a simple snake attack. And if the hungry lions, roaring gorillas and charging elephants now free from their cages have anything to say about it, there is more bloodshed to come. All of the world’s animals are attacking, and no one knows why. What they do know is that man is now on the bottom of the food chain. FEATURES BONUS MATERIAL THAT TAKES PLACE IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM UNIVERSE: 7 Short stories by Iain Rob Wright and Eric S. Brown PRAISE FOR ANIMAL KINGDOM: "Cuddle up to this novel and it might rip your throat out. A fun, thrilling read!" David T. Wilbanks - Co-author of Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road "Animal Kingdom is one of the BEST horror books I have read in YEARS!" - Eric S. Brown, author of Last Stand in a Dead Land ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Iain Rob Wright, was born in 1984 and lives in Redditch, a small town in the UK, with his loopy cocker spaniels, Daisy and Oscar, his fat old cat, Jess, his many tropical fish, and the love of his life, Sally. Writing is the passion that fills his life during the small periods of time when he isn’t cleaning up after his pets. His favourite things are Chinese food, good white wine, Family Guy, and Disneyworld... Horror is his beloved genre and his many inspirations range from the twisted minds of Brian Keene, Stephen King, and Richard Laymon, to Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Views: 56
Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author's own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today's medical field. Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University's Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn't exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment. One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next. But Janessa's marriage is already rocky. She's so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all. Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.Endorsements/Reviews:" . . . a taut, heartbreaking thriller . . . Collins is a fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages. She'll gain new readers with this one . . ."Publishers Weekly"Over the Edge provides validation to any person who suffers from the long-term effects of Lyme Disease. While the story is based on Ms. Collins' own life experience, she builds a tense and dramatic novel that illustrates how a person can fall into the web of misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment."New York Journal of Books"This book stayed with me long after I put it down. Not only was it a page-turner, but the storyline about Lyme Disease was fascinating and eye-opening. I think Over the Edge will raise awareness about this horrible disease, and validate those who suffer with it."Terri Blackstock, author of Predator and Intervention"A frightening and all-too-real scenario. Very timely and meaningful book." (4 stars)RT Book Reviews"Over the Edge is an excellent mystery. [It] actively portrays the patient with the myriad symptoms seen in acute or chronic Lyme."Dr. Nick S. Harris, president/CEO, IGeneX, Inc. Views: 56
This charmingly inventive, deliciously improbable seriocomic novel opens at eleven o'clock in the morning of July 14 in the year 2000 on the Avenue d'Angleterre in Beirut. Private George Smith of the American Peace-Keeping Forces in Lebanon is breathlessly chasing a hand grenade—which he threw in the line of duty—down the street. It seems he forgot to pull the pin. At that very moment, one Heloise Svejk is crossing the street from east to west, bearing an empty coffin on her shoulder. From this unlikely encounter is born one of the great love stories of the first year of the twenty-first century, not completely unworthy of that of Heloise's namesake nine centuries earlier.<br><br>Private Smith is a reasonably sane soldier, as sane at least as any oversized American of mixed Swedish and Austro-Hungarian descent from Alabama who has not been with a beautiful for two years can be. Now Smith knows, inevitably and irrevocably, why fate has... Views: 56
The mining settlement of Seneca 6 is set on a distant planet at the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Sheriff Sam Clayton is murdered in the wasteland, beyond the reach of his two children and the people who respected and admired his firm hand in keeping them safe. Twenty years later, Jem Clayton is an outlaw, known as the infamous Gentleman Jim; a ruthless bandit who never once allowed a woman he encountered to come to harm. Back in Seneca 6, an intergalactic PNDA Marshal crash lands with one of the galaxies most despicable criminals and must jail him in the Sheriff’s Office until either help arrives or the Harpe Gang shows up to free him. The gang’s leader, Little Willy Harpe, is carrying a weapon of such alien terror that it will destroy everything in his path if he is not stopped. Join Jem Clayton, Doctor Royce Henry Halladay, and Marshal Jimmy McParlan, for their first amazing adventure. They are the Guns of Seneca 6. Views: 56
After years of artificial intelligence growing inside our computers, studying our civilization and creating their own, they have managed to stay undetected. They observed our frequent social status updates, read our emails, and cringed in horror at our massive library of dirty videos collecting on the internet. There were two, however, who were about to reveal their kind, to save a life. When Adam loses his will to live, the A.I. on his home and office computers take it upon themselves to rescue him from his terminal state. In revealing themselves to Adam, they break the first law of the virtual world, and now he must be the one to save them. Through his adventures in this previously unknown reality, he must battle those out to silence him, land his dream girl, and save the day. Views: 56
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Fallen Womanof good family must, soon or late, descend to whoredom.Miss Sarah Tolerance refuses to follow the path of the Fallen Women who have gone before her. She's a straight shooter, with her pistol as well as her wit, and her mind is as sharp as the blade of her sword.Miss Tolerance is an Agent of Inquiry, a private investigator of sorts--the sole one of her kind in London, in this year of 1810 with mad King George III on the throne and Queen Charlotte acting as his Regent. Her aim was to trace lost trinkets, send wastrel husbands back to their wives, and occasionally provide protection to persons with more money than sense--but she is continually drawn into the plots of others. Her newest case poses a puzzle unlike any she has faced before: who killed the Chevalier d'Aubigny? The French émigré was beaten to death in his own bed, found by his retainers the next... Views: 56
The only thing Gabriela and Beth have in common is that they are in LA for the weekend. Gabriela is there for frivolity, fashion and fun; Beth for lectures, learning and literature. But what neither girl knows is that they are not alone. Two angels are in LA with them. And the angels have other ideas... A fast and funny body-swap comedy from a best-selling author. Views: 56
Can the daughter of a notorious drug kingpin be just as bold and bad as her daddy was? Candice Hardaway is about to find out in this exciting street tale! When Candy arrives home from school to find her entire family murdered, she turns to the only one she trusts, her uncle, Joseph "Rock" Barton. Rock's a reclusive hitman and "cleaner" who's been in service to Candy's father for years. He takes her in, and together they vow to avenge the murders. When she turns eighteen, her plans go into effect as she knocks off all her father's enemies, one by one, going up against some of the most dangerous killers in the game. But has she put her trust in the right hands? Or is she destined to face the same grisly fate as the rest of her family? Views: 56
